17-year-old sentenced to life in prison for Fairhill murder

A judge today sentenced 17-year-old Radames Sanabria for life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2010 murder of a 14-year-old Fairhill boy.

Sanabria on Aug. 10, 2010 allegedly became involved in an argument with victim Jerome Carlyle, Jr., who investigators said he did not know prior to that day. The reason for the dispute is still unknown, but prosecutors said Sanabria pulled out his gun less than a minute after the two began exchanging words.

Sanabria shot the unarmed Carlyle, Jr. four times and was on Oct. 23, 2012 convicted by a jury of first degree murder, possessing an instrument of crime and firearms violations.

Judge Linda Carpenter handed down the life sentence today despite a recently-passed law lifting the state's mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison or death for juveniles convicted of first degree murder.

According to a release from the District Attorney's Office, Carpenter considered the factors required under the new statute, but found that life without parole was still the appropriate sentence for Sanabria.